Self‐efficacy and AIDS Prevention for Pregnant Teens

AIDS education the only immediate solution to containment of AIDS encourages active risk reduction among high-risk populations. Self- efficacy is a construct that can measure the likelihood preventive behaviors will be performed and thus could be applied to identify specific areas where AIDS education should be augmented. In this study pregnant mostly black teens (n=58) attending an alternative school in a large midwestern city completed a self-efficacy scale to identify self-perceived areas of vulnerability to participating in preventive behaviors and avoiding high-risk behaviors concerning AIDS. The AIDS Self-Efficacy Scale identified 4 areas of greatest vulnerability: using condoms discussing previous homosexual activity discussing previous bisexual activity and telling a partner about an experience with a bisexual. The last 3 situations result from an inability to discuss a partners past sexual history indicating a need to be very specific in these areas. School health interventions should recognize and deal with issues sexually active teens identified as most difficult particularly specific aspects of sexual histories and provide these adolescents with prevention skills necessary to reduce high-risk behaviors. (authors)